The First Post

Welcome to the Carmel Indiana Tao Study Group Message Board, we are happy that you came for a visit.

This being the first post, the site is pretty bare but we plan to add a lot of content over time.
Mr Bill has published Tao related documents that have been distributed world-wide and he continues to author documents. This site will become the central point that ties it all together.

Mr Bill's Temple is THE place to go, for those on this side of the Mississippi, to visit a publicly accessible Tao Shrine. Further, he is one of the keynote speakers in regularly held, internationally attended, Tao study meetings.

Editors note: In proof-reading the above it seems that the point of this page to promote Mr. Bill. While that is a worthy cause, it's not the point. The Tao is the point, and this group. lead by him and Derek (below) is the main focus of these pages.


Mr. Derek Lin is an accomplished author, publishing many Tao centered books (available here) and is the keynote speaker during the meeting described above. Derek is bi-lingual, with Chinese being his primary language. Derek's book: Tao Te Jing is believed to be the the most accurate translation of the original Lao Tzu text and is the primary topic of Derek's weekly teachings.

This message board will provide the information necessary for you to explore the Tao and decide for yourself if you should join in the meetings on-line or in person. Please see the Links page for references to many things Tao in other web sites.

NOTE: We'd love for you to visit a meeting if you feel an affinity to the Tao. Please do not consider this to be an advertisement though. We have nothing to sell and do not ask for donations.

Note to the note: you may attend by joining us in Bill's meeting room or from the comfort of your favorite internet connection (coffee shop? - PC or Mac) by clicking here. OBTW: that page has a LOT more information about the meeting. Be sure to visit our Schedule of events page because sometimes the event may be canceled.
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Mr. Bill is also a certified Taiji master. Actually, the Tao and Taiji fit together like a hand in a glove. Taiji masters in ancient China were Taoist. Mr. Bill continues this tradition and passes it on to the students he chooses to teach. Please see the message board that I have created for Indiana Tai Chi Quan and the Indiana Tai Chi Quan Acadamy web site for more on that topic.

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About the webmaster:
Hi it's me! I am proud to be one of Mr. Bill's disciples and consider myself to be the least skilled of the 'advanced class.' I am one of the assistant Taiji instructors and help with training new students whenever I can.

I consider myself to be one who cultivates the Tao and try to apply it in my daily life. To obtain more Tao understanding, I attend the weekly meetings at Mr. Bill's Shrine when possible, and on-line when I must be elsewhere. (See the links page for how to do this.) I have been 'initiated' into the Tao by participating in a formal ritual, and enjoy the benefits therein. Do not assume that one must be iniated to benefit from these teachings though.

Creating and updating these web pages gives me opportunity to 'give back' in a way consistent with my skills, and helps me (and you!) learn about this rich heritage in Taiji and Tao.

I feel this effort gives me opportunity to tell site visitors where this starving person has found 'food' and make it accessible to you. The Taiji, Qigung, Tao, and so much more have made changes (major improvements) in my life, and I'd be happy to help you get some for yourself.

If you would like for us to respond to your personal request, just reply to the post and leave contact info. I will respond to the message and the post will not be published.

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About the words Taiji and Tai Chi:
These words have been used interchangeably in the text above and throughout our message boards. The word Taiji (or better: Taiji Quan) is more accurate. Tai Chi is more recognizable to the American public and our purpose here is to make this accessible.